A busy summer transfer window for the Columbus Crew was capped off on Wednesday when the team announced the signing of forward/midfielder Diego Rossi from Turkish side Fenerbahçe S.K. for an undisclosed fee. Rossi, who played in Major League Soccer for four seasons, signed a Designated Player contract with the Crew that will run through the 2026 season, with a club option for an additional year.

The signing comes in the wake of the Black & Gold’s decision to move on from playmaker Lucas Zelarayan. Columbus announced Zelarayan’s transfer to Saudi Pro League side Al Fateh SC on Monday afternoon.

Already a Green Card holder, the Uruguayan will join the Crew’s roster once he receives his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate.

“Diego is a winner and an exciting, skillful player, and we are excited to welcome him to the Crew,” Black & Gold president and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said in the release officially announcing Rossi’s signing. “He has a natural ability to score and create goals, and he has further demonstrated his exceptional quality over the past few seasons while competing in Europe. Diego is a great addition to our dynamic attack, and as importantly, he is a true fit for our club’s desired culture and style of play.”

Rossi, 25, joined MLS expansion side LAFC prior to the team’s debut 2018 season, becoming the league’s second-youngest Designated Player at 19 years old. He went on to score 48 goals and record 21 assists in 104 games, starting in 101 of them, in MLS play for LAFC. This included a remarkable 2020 season when he scored 14 goals in 19 matches during the COVID-19-shortened season, becoming the youngest Golden Boot winner in MLS history.

In each full season Rossi spent in MLS, the Uruguayan scored double-digit goals, netting 12 times in 32 appearances in his debut season and finishing with 16 goals in 34 games in 2019. He managed to provide at least seven assists in two of those three seasons, with nine assists in 2018. He helped LAFC win the MLS Supporters’ Shield with the best record in the league in 2019.

For his performances in MLS, Rossi was named the league’s Young Player of the Year and the MLS is Back tournament MVP. He was also named to the MLS Best XI in 2020 and took home the MLS is Back Golden Boot and the tournament’s Young Player award. Additionally, he received an ESPY for Best MLS Player in 2021.

Prior to coming to MLS, Rossi, a native of Montevideo, Uruguay, played for Club Atlético Peñarol, signing with the club’s academy at the age of 12. He quickly led both the Under-15 and Under-17 sides to league titles before making his first-team debut in 2016. He played in 46 matches for Peñarol, scoring 13 goals.

After initially going on loan to Fenerbahçe in 2021, Rossi signed with the Süper Lig side on a permanent basis in April 2022. In total, Rossi appeared in 10 goals in 64 league games and also featured twice in the UEFA Champions League and 16 times in the Europa League. He helped Fenerbahçe win the Turkish Cup in 2023 and finish second in the Süper Lig in the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons.

Internationally, Rossi has made seven appearances for Uruguay after playing for his country at every youth level. The attacker made his senior debut in a CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifier against Chile on March 28, 2022, and scored his only international goal to date in a friendly against Panama just over two months later.

“We thank the Haslam, Johnson and Edwards families for their ongoing support of the club, which allows us to acquire a player of Diego’s caliber,” Bezbatchennko continued. “I also thank (head coach) Wilfried (Nancy), Issa (Tall), Neil (McGuinness), Corey (Wray), Marc (Nicholls) and our entire soccer administration team, whose work was pivotal in completing this deal. We are proud that Diego has chosen Columbus, and we look forward to him contributing to our team at a high level as we work to win more trophies for our city.” 

While Rossi is not a like-for-like replacement for Zelarayan, he projects to fit in well in Nancy’s system. The Crew’s attacking front three has been fluid throughout the year, and Rossi’s experience playing both as a forward and out wide fits well with that style of play. Rossi will be able to score goals and help create dangerous chances for the Black & Gold heading into the rest of the Leagues Cup and MLS play.